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Joining Up

The last Sunday of May this year (2006) will be the feast or solemnity of Pentecost which is Greek for fiftieth day. And that’s what it is - the fiftieth (and last) day of Eastertide. Fifty - you won’t be surprised to learn - comes after forty-nine, and forty-nine is seven times seven; which makes the greatest season of the Church Year a `Week of Weeks’ plus one.

In fact, it’s all very Jewish - as well it might be, since Pentecost is originally a Jewish festival. In Christianity it has (at least) a dual function: as well as bringing Eastertide to a close, it also commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Church `in tongues of fire’.

All very appropriate again, because Eastertide is the time when new Christians originally entered the Church by baptism and received the Holy Spirit.

The norm in those days was adult baptism. The catechumens (grown-ups learning their catechism!) would be taught and prepared during Lent. Then on Easter Eve (or the eve of Pentecost), after nightfall, they would come to the cathedral for the Sung Eucharist (celebrated by the bishop), make their profession of faith, be baptised, anointed with chrism for confirmation and/or chrismation, and receive the Body and Blood of Christ in Holy Communion for the first time. And all on the one occasion.

That’s Christian Initiation (as it’s properly called) in its classical form. Only much later, and for various reasons (some good, others not so good), was Christian initiation broken up in different places and in different ways into different parts.

Thus Roman Catholics baptise infants, give communion to children, and confirm and chrismate only (young) adults. Anglicans baptise infants, confirm but do not chrismate adolescents, and only then give them communion. Baptists baptise only (young) adults and don’t confirm or chrismate. The Eastern Orthodox baptise, confirm and/or chrismate infants, and give them communion - by means of a spoon!

Strange as it may seem to us, the Orthodox practice is most like the original form of Christian initiation, simply because everything happens on the one occasion. This is particularly important because you don’t have to work out which bit is supposed to do what! Is the chrismation the confirmation? Does the baptism convey the Holy Spirit? Or is it the laying on of hands?

The rite of Christian Initiation is supposed to be a unity. Imagine what a mess we would get into if we broke up the Liturgy of the Eucharist and then tried to explain what the consecrated hosts were for, as opposed to the contents of the chalice!

Pentecost is also called Whitsunday or `White Sunday’ because candidates for baptism wore white for the liturgy. This Whitsunday we will have the joy of seeing an adult member of our congregation initiated into the Christian Faith by baptism, chrismation, and the reception of the Body and Blood of Christ in Holy Communion. A new beginning is a wonderful way to end the season of the resurrection - itself the greatest new beginning of them all!